Arrived with nothing but got relief work (5)
I believe the answer is:
cameo
'relief work' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'arrived with nothing' is the wordplay.
'arrived' becomes 'came' ('come' can be a synonym of 'arrive').
'with nothing' becomes 'o' (I've seen this in other clues).
'came'+'o'='CAMEO'
'but got' acts as a link.
This may not be correct. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for cameo that I've seen before include "Item of jewellery with a portrait - distinguished actor's minor role" , "Part in movie" , "Small piece of carved stone or small role in play" , "Carved head on gem - short dramatic role for star" , "Small role in film" .)